Protective cap

ABSTRACT

A protective cap for protecting a brain within a head from concussions and brain injuries commonly associated with sports or assault is provided. The protective cap comprises a cap having an outer surface and an inner surface. The cap is constructed from an aramid material and conforms to the shape of the head and snugly fits the head. The cap provides a lightweight, comfortably fitting, safe, effective, and discreet means of protecting the head from impact.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This patent application claims priority under 35 USC 119 (e) (1) from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/326,206 filed Apr. 22, 2016, of common inventorship herewith entitled, “Head and Brain Protective Cap,” which is incorporated herein by reference as though the same were set forth in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to the field of preventing head injury, and more specifically to the field of protective headgear.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The issue of concussions in sports has attracted considerable attention and media coverage in recent years. Early focus was on professional football, a game built around high speed and full body contact between heavy and powerful players, but reporting and research has expanded to include sports at every level. Football leagues have banned some high risk hits and aggressively investigated a bounty pool scandal that involved a team paying bonuses to players who injured opponents. Retired players continue to pursue legal action and raise awareness of the issue, particularly with cases of former players suffering from early dementia resulting from repeated brain trauma.

Ice hockey is another rough, physical sport that takes a high toll. Long term consequences of such repeated concussive injuries are dire. Concussion risk starts at youth level play in any sport with potential for hard contact including football, ice hockey, baseball, soccer, boxing, gymnastics, horseback riding, skiing and cycling. Emergency room treatment of a traumatic brain injury is a common occurrence among children and adolescents.

The need for a protective covering for one's skull and brain is essential for police officers, soldiers, and armored truck guards and drivers. These career individuals need to be protected from gunfire that arises from law enforcement, ground battle, and transport of money and valuables. The need to protect their most important organ, the brain, is of the utmost importance in keeping these vulnerable groups protected from the catastrophic potential of receiving a head injury of any kind, particularly a gunshot wound to the head.

The prior art has put forth several designs for protective headgear. Among these are:

US Patent Publication 2011/0113533 to Manuel Guillen describes a lightweight, unrestrictive, unobtrusive, comfortable and effective head protection helmet, cap or headgear that is wearable in a wide variety of sports during practice and competition, particularly swimming. The head protection needs to be conducive to wear by athletes and also be effective to prevent or minimize head injuries. The cap is configured to cover at least a portion of an upper head portion, side, head portions and back head portion of a user's head. The cap is made of a rigid and resilient material closely conforming to a shape and size of a user's head. The cap is configured to resiliently capture an upper portion of a user's head and resiliently grip the user's head by opposed spaced apart longitudinal gripping portions and opposed spaced apart transverse side gripping portions.

US Patent Publication 2004/0034903 to Mary Blair describes a protective sports hat insert. The insert is a molded compound insert utilizing reinforced fibers as the preferred embodiment as the outer shell or unreinforced fibers as secondary choice. A flexible inner shell or a rigid inner shell utilizes high density foam or an air management system with slits or holes punctured along the top. The shells are hemispherical and have a removable cloth liner to add comfort. Resilient spacers provide comfort and a better fit. A retention strap secures the hat insert to the head. When the outer insert shells and the inner shells along with the cloth liner are placed inside an existing hat, some extra protection and comfort is provided to the head while maintaining the outward appearance of an existing sports hat.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,561,866 to Leslie Ross describes a safety helmet for motorcycles with an outer shell firmed as a sandwich, comprising outer and inner composite layers each of resin and impact resistant material separated by an intermediate layer of resilient material. The impact resistant material is preferably a cloth of high tensile strength fiber, glass fiber or carbon fiber. The resilient material preferably is honeycomb material of paper or aluminum. The helmet is made by sequentially layering up, in or over a former, a first composite layer of resin and sheets of impact resistant material, an intermediate layer of honeycomb material, and a second composite layer of resin and sheets of impact resistant material. The outer shell has a polyhedral form including a plurality of polygonal faces having abutting edges.

None of these prior art references describe the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a lightweight, extremely strong synthetic fiber cap that is worn alone or under a helmet to help protect a person's brain from concussions and brain injuries commonly associated with sports or assaults of any kind.

The present invention includes a protective cap for protecting a brain within a head from concussions and brain injuries commonly associated with sports or assault. The protective cap comprises a cap having an outer surface and an inner surface. The cap is constructed from an aramid material and conforms to the shape of the head and snugly fits the head. The cap provides a lightweight, comfortably fitting, safe, effective, and discreet means of protecting the head from impact.

In addition, the present invention includes a method for protecting a brain within a head from concussions and brain injuries commonly associated with sports or assault. The method comprises providing a cap having an outer surface and an inner surface, constructing the cap from an aramid material, conforming the cap to the shape of the head, snugly fitting the head, and providing a lightweight, comfortably fitting, safe, effective, and discreet means of protecting the head from impact.

The present invention further includes a protective cap for protecting a brain within a head from concussions and brain injuries commonly associated with sports or assault. The protective cap comprises a cap having a smooth outer surface and an inner surface and a liner secured to the inner surface of the cap. The cap is constructed from an aramid material and conforms to the shape of the head and snugly fits the head. The cap provides a lightweight, comfortably fitting, safe, effective, and discreet means of protecting the head from impact.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a protective cap, constructed in accordance with the present invention, showing a skull cap of an aramid fiber and an inner cap liner with rubber bumps for extra support and gripping ability.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the protective cap, constructed in accordance with the present invention, showing the protective cap snugly yet comfortably covering the person's skull area.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view illustrating the protective cap, constructed in accordance with the present invention, with an inner liner having resilient bumps for extra support and gripping ability.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention, hereinafter referred to as a Protective Cap, indicated generally at 10, is a lightweight, extremely strong synthetic fiber cap 12 that helps protect a person's brain from concussions and brain injuries commonly associated with sports or an assault of any kind. Worn alone or under a helmet, the Protective Cap 10 of the present invention provides a lightweight, comfortably fitting, safe, effective and discreet means of protecting one's skull from impact of any kind, including resistance to bullets.

The Protective Cap 10 of the present invention is configured as a thin cap 12 having an outer surface and an inner surface. The outer surface of the cap 12 can be smooth allowing a snug, full contact coverage under a helmet or hat or can have additional padded sections positioned in injury strategic positions about the cap 12, as desired by the manufacturer and/or user.

The inner surface of the cap 12 of the Protective Cap 10 of the present invention is preferably layered in fleece to engender comfort as well as protection and to rest beneath a helmet or hat and fit firmly onto a head of a user. In addition, the inner surface of the cap 12 can have a slip resistant material applied to the inner surface of the cap 12. In a preferred embodiment, the slip resistant material is a plurality of resilient bumps 14 for extra support and gripping ability. The resilient bumps 14 can be constructed from a rubber or other resilient material.

It should be noted that while the fleece layer and/or resilient bumps 14 of the cap of the Protective Cap 10 of the present invention can be applied directly to the inner surface of the cap 12, it is within the scope of the present invention for the fleece material and/or resilient bumps 14 to be applied to a liner material 16 which in turn is applied directly to the inner surface of the cap 12. Also, it is within the scope of the present invention for the cap 12 to have both a fleece material and resilient bumps 14.

The cap 12 of the Protective Cap 10 is comprised of a lightweight aramid fiber, commonly known as Kevlar®, or similar type compound. This tensile fiber is exceptionally strong, stronger than steel. The cap 12 fits flush against the frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal lobes of a user. The synthetic fiber material used for the cap 12 of the present invention withstands extremely high temperatures without melting or losing its extreme protective strength. Sweat and moisture have no negative or decomposing effect on the Protective Cap 10. Cold and freezing temperatures have no degenerative effects on the Protective Cap 10.

Sizing for the cap 12 of the Protective Cap 10 of the present invention is preferably small, medium, large, and extra-large. An extra small cap sized for an infant can also be produced. The cap 12 fits flush against the vital lobes of the skull and brain including the frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal lobes. Because the cap 12 of the present invention is bullet resistant, it is wearable below uniform headgear as additional and discreet protection.

Using the Protective Cap 10 of the present invention is simple and straightforward. The athlete, officer, soldier, or guard wears the present invention below their uniform headgear, above their eyebrow ridge. When fitting the Protective Cap 10, a user takes their widest forehead circumference measurement to ensure a proper fit in which there is no room for fingers to slide between the cap 12 and the skull. The user simply slips the Protective Cap 10 on, makes sure it is covering vulnerable aspects of their head, and then covers it with outer headgear that is normally worn for their sport or job. The Protective Cap 10 is weightless and unobtrusive to the user. When the user is no longer using the Protective Cap 10, they simply remove the cap 12 and store it safely.

The Protective Cap 10 of the present invention functions to totally protect anyone who risks head injury in their daily life. Whether a child on a peewee football league or a professional hockey player, the Protective Cap 10 effectively protects one's brain from risky and powerful hits that happen during these sports as part of the game. The Protective Cap 10 protects the brains of police officers, armed services and armored guards who are assaulted by a person, hit with a weapon, or shot with a gun. Potentially averting disaster by reducing the risk of injury or concussion for many different user types, the Protective Cap 10 lends a sense of security that these individuals have a better chance of avoiding death or an incident that alters the trajectory of their lives.

Although this invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments, it is not intended to be limited thereto and various modifications which will become apparent to the person of ordinary skill in the art are intended to fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as described herein taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims. 

1. A protective cap for protecting a brain within a head from concussions and brain injuries commonly associated with sports or assault, the protective cap comprising: a cap having an outer surface and an inner surface; wherein the cap is constructed from an aramid material; wherein the cap conforms to the shape of the head and snugly fits the head; and wherein the cap provides a lightweight, comfortably fitting, safe, effective, and discreet means of protecting the head from impact.
 2. The protective cap of claim 1 wherein the outer surface of the cap is smooth.
 3. The protective cap of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the outer surface of the cap is padded with a padding material.
 4. The protective cap of claim 3 wherein the padding material is positioned in injury strategic positions about the cap.
 5. The protective cap of claim 1 wherein the inner surface of the cap is layered in a fleece material.
 6. The protective cap of claim 5 wherein the fleece material is mounted to a liner, the liner secured to the inner surface of the cap.
 7. The protective cap of claim 1 wherein the inner surface of the cap has a slip resistant material.
 8. The protective cap of claim 7 wherein the slip resistant material is a plurality of resilient bumps.
 9. The protective cap of claim 7 wherein the slip resistant material is applied to a liner, the liner secured to the inner surface of the cap.
 10. The protective cap of claim 1 wherein the inner surface of the cap has a fleece material and a slip resistant material.
 11. The protective cap of claim 1 wherein the cap fits flush against frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal lobes of the brain.
 12. The protective cap of claim 1 wherein the cap is wearable below uniform headgear as additional and discreet protection.
 13. A method for protecting a brain within a head from concussions and brain injuries commonly associated with sports or assault, the method comprising: providing a cap having an outer surface and an inner surface; constructing the cap from an aramid material; conforming the cap to the shape of the head; snugly fitting the head; and providing a lightweight, comfortably fitting, safe, effective, and discreet means of protecting the head from impact.
 14. A protective cap for protecting a brain within a head from concussions and brain injuries commonly associated with sports or assault, the protective cap comprising: a cap having a smooth outer surface and an inner surface; and a liner secured to the inner surface of the cap; wherein the cap is constructed from an aramid material; wherein the cap conforms to the shape of the head and snugly fits the head; and wherein the cap provides a lightweight, comfortably fitting, safe, effective, and discreet means of protecting the head from impact.
 15. The protective cap of claim 14 and further comprising: padding material positioned on at least a portion the outer surface of the cap.
 16. The protective cap of claim 15 wherein the padding material is positioned in injury strategic positions about the cap.
 17. The protective cap of claim 14 and further comprising: a fleece material mounted to the liner.
 18. The protective cap of claim 14 and further comprising: a slip resistant material mounted to the liner.
 19. The protective cap of claim 18 wherein the slip resistant material is a plurality of resilient bumps.
 20. The protective cap of claim 14 and further comprising: a fleece material and a slip resistant material mounted to the liner. 